By James Boice
Theme: Missing the Birth of the Savior
In this week’s lessons, we examine people in the Christmas story who did not respond to the birth of Christ as they should have.
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
Few things in life are more tragic than having missed something important for no good reason. Yet this is the experience of many, many people. Early in June 1944, the German general Rommel was strengthening the fortifications of the beaches of western France against the imminent Allied invasion of Hitler s Europe. This was the Rommel who had gained fame as a military strategist in North Africa. He was convinced that in this stage of the war if the Allies should ever gain a foothold in France the war would be lost for Germany. He had done much to put the defenses in readiness, but as the first week of June drew to an end and the weather off the Atlantic coast grew worse, Rommel felt that he could spare a few days away from the feverish action. It was the birthday of h